A How-To on Using Recycled Building Materials

The types of building materials that can be recycled include:

Aggregate

Sand

Bricks and masonry

Tiles

Steel

Aluminium

Timber

Most glass

Concrete

Scrap metal

Floor slabs

Roofing metal sheets

The list goes on and on. Many people have built their homes out of waste products that don’t come from a building site. These waste products include old tyres, jars, bottles, wooden pallets, and even parts of old aeroplanes!

Recycling possibilities are endless and with the amount of valuable materials going to waste, you may want to consider how you can use recycled building materials to add something creative to your home. This method of using materials is green, inexpensive and fulfilling.

Where can you find these materials?

You may be wondering where to go to find these materials, because unless you are directly involved in a building site with access to the waste, these materials seem quite scarce. The truth is that the aforementioned materials,(and many other wasted products) can be upcycled easilyand are actually readily available. Many building projects donate their unused or recycled products to projects that need the resources, or to people who would like to craft something out of it.

Talk to the people you know, someone may be involved in a site or know who to ask for recyclable materials.

Consult the internet to find projects happening near you and what their policies on waste materials are.

There is no shame in asking, if you see a building site ask to speak to whoever may be in charge to see if you can score some free or discounted building materials.

Keep an eye on local Facebook groups for information on materials that the owners would rather give away than dumpillegally.

A demolition site is the gold at the end of the free building material rainbow.

With a little bit of know how you can upcycle materials to suit your own personal building needs. Your imagination is your only limitation, you can build your dream home or fix it up for a fraction of the cost. All you need is a little bit of know-how and elbow grease to make recycled building materials shine.